Cutting/scraping tool

Abstract

A cutting/scraping tool is disclosed, comprising a housing defining a longitudinal axis, a transverse chamber, and a blade chase adjacent a forward end of the housing. A cartridge is releasably retained within the chamber by detent lugs extending laterally from an outer surface of the cartridge in frictional engagement with a plurality of complementary detent recesses positioned on the housing. A blade within the cartridge is in aligned registry with the blade chase. A deflector is positioned beneath the blade. A transport mechanism is slidably mounted on the housing for substantially longitudinal movement between forward, intermediate and rearmost positions. An actuator projects from this housing to effect the sliding movement of the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism has a flexible, resilient tongue portion. A tab is formed on the tongue portion within the housing adjacent a forward end of the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism is rearwardly removed from the cartridge at the rearmost position. Sliding movement of the transport mechanism from the rearmost position to the intermediate position causes the tab to enter the cartridge beneath the blade, and be deflected upwardly by the deflector, to carryingly engage a socket positioned on an underside of the blade. Sliding movement of the transport mechanism from the intermediate position to the forward position causes the tab to carry the blade from the cartridge to project in an operative position from the blade chase, so as to present a sharpened edge of the blade for use.

I claim: 
     
       1. A cutting/scraping tool comprising: a manually grippable housing defining a longitudinal axis and having a head portion adjacent a forward end of the housing, a handle portion adjacent a rearward end of the housing, an axially aligned blade chase formed in the head portion of the housing, and a cartridge receiving chamber formed in the housing and defining a substantially transverse axis;   a blade cartridge, having a blade and a slot, with the blade positioned in the slot;   cartridge positioning means comprised of at least two co-operating portions, a first one of said co-operating portions mounted on an outer surface of the blade cartridge, a second one of said co-operating portions mounted on the housing adjacent a perimeter of the cartridge receiving chamber so as to engage the first one of said co-operating portions to releasably retain said blade cartridge within the cartridge receiving chamber with the blade in aligned registry with the blade chase so as to define a loading position;   a slidable transport mechanism mounted on the housing for sliding movement along an axis substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis between forward and intermediate positions and having a manually engageable actuator projecting from the housing to effect said sliding movement of said transport mechanism, said transport mechanism having a blade engaging detent means positioned on the transport mechanism within the housing adjacent a forward end of said transport mechanism for carrying engagement with said blade; whereby positioning of the transport mechanism at the forward position causes the blade, carried from the slot by the detent means, to project in an operative position from the blade chase so as to present a first sharpened edge of said blade for use, and sliding movement of the transport mechanism from the forward position to the intermediate position causes the blade to be retracted from said operative position into the loading position.     
     
     
       2. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism is adapted for slidable longitudinal movement to a rearmost position rearwardly longitudinally disposed from the intermediate position, and sliding movement of the transport mechanism from the intermediate position to the rearmost position causes the blade engaging detent means to disengage from the blade when the blade is at the loading position. 
     
     
       3. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 2, wherein the transport mechanism is fully removed rearwardly from the blade cartridge when said transport mechanism is at the rearmost position, so as to permit selective transverse removal of the blade cartridge from the cartridge receiving chamber. 
     
     
       4. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 3, wherein the transport mechanism has a flexible, resilient, forwardly-directed tongue portion, the blade engaging detent means being formed adjacent a forward end of said tongue portion, and the transport mechanism is adapted such that, upon movement of same from the rearmost position to the intermediate position, the detent means enters the blade cartridge beneath the blade and travels in upwardly intersecting angular relation to the longitudinal axis to engage a first socket means in an underside of the blade for said subsequent carriage of the blade by the transport mechanism from the loading position to the operative position. 
     
     
       5. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 3, wherein the transport mechanism comprises a flexible, resilient forwardly-directed tongue portion with the blade engaging detent means being formed adjacent a forward end thereof, and wherein the blade cartridge further comprises a deflector means fixedly positioned beneath the blade in the blade cartridge, said tongue portion and said deflector means being adapted such that, upon said movement of the transport mechanism from the rearmost position to the intermediate position, the detent means enters into the blade cartridge beneath the blade, and is deflected upwardly by the deflector means to carryingly engage a first socket means positioned on an underside of the blade, for subsequent carriage of the blade by the transport mechanism from the loading position to the operative position.   
     
     
       6. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 5, wherein the deflector means comprises an inclined ramp portion, and upon said movement of the transport mechanism from the rearmost position to the intermediate position, the detent means enters into the blade cartridge beneath the blade in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and is thereafter deflected upwardly by the inclined ramp portion to carryingly engage the first socket means. 
     
     
       7. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 6, wherein the blade engaging detent means comprises an upwardly projecting tab member, and the first socket means comprises an opening in the blade which is sized and proportioned for operative frictional engagement with said tab member. 
     
     
       8. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 7, wherein the blade cartridge further comprises a plurality of substantially planar blades positioned within the slot in the blade cartridge in vertically stacked, spaced, substantially parallel relation, with a plurality of deflector means interleaved one each therebetween, and wherein the cartridge positioning means is adapted for movement of the blade cartridge along said transverse axis to move a selected one of the plurality of blades into the loading position for subsequent selective movement by the transport mechanism to the operative position. 
     
     
       9. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 8, wherein the blades each comprise a second sharpened edge longitudinally rearwardly disposed from the first sharpened edge of each said blade and a second socket means forwardly disposed from the first socket means of each said blade, and wherein the deflector means each comprise a declined ramp portion forwardly disposed from the inclined ramp portion of each said deflector means, said second sharpened edges, the second socket means and the declined ramp portions being arranged, with relation to a plane normal to the longitudinal axis and extending through an axial midpoint of the blade cartridge, in transverse symmetry with the first sharpened edges, the first socket means and the inclined ramp portions, the blade cartridge being releasably retained within the cartridge receiving chamber with the first sharpened edges being forwardly disposed from the second sharpened edges, so as to define a forwardly-directed orientation of the blade cartridge. 
     
     
       10. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 9, wherein the cartridge positioning means is further adapted to selectively releasably retain the blade cartridge within the cartridge receiving chamber with the second sharpened edges being forwardly disposed from the first sharpened edges, so as to define a second rearwardly-directed orientation of the blade cartridge, for subsequent carriage of the selected blade by the transport mechanism to the operative position, so as to present the second sharpened edge of the selected blade for use. 
     
     
       11. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 10, wherein the cartridge positioning means comprises a plurality of detent recesses positioned on the housing adjacent a perimeter of the cartridge receiving chamber and a plurality of complementary detent lugs extending laterally from the outer surface of the blade cartridge and adapted to frictionally engage said detent recesses. 
     
     
       12. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 11, wherein the inclined ramp portion and the declined ramp portion of each said deflector means are each joined by a respective one of a plurality of substantially V-shaped portions, each said V-shaped portion having a lower ridge and laterally spaced side edges, each side edge being rigidly connected to a respective inner side surface of the blade cartridge so as to fixedly position said deflector means in the blade cartridge. 
     
     
       13. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 12, wherein the deflector means are each constructed of a flexible and resilient material and are each adapted such that, during movement of the transport mechanism between the rearmost position and the forward position, the detent means is deflected upwardly by a respective one of the inclined ramp portions and an apex ridge of said respective one of the inclined ramp portions is compressed downwardly by the transport mechanism when the blade cartridge is in the forwardly-directed orientation, and the detent means is deflected upwardly by a respective one of the declined ramp portions and an apex ridge of said respective one of the declined ramp portions is compressed downwardly by the transport mechanism when the blade cartridge is in the rearwardly-directed orientation. 
     
     
       14. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 13, wherein the blades and the deflector means are arranged in vertically stacked alternating abutting relation, for support of said blades by said deflector means in said vertically stacked, spaced, substantially parallel relation. 
     
     
       15. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 14, wherein the inclined ramp portions and the declined ramp portions each have, adjacent a base thereof, an upturned lip portion. 
     
     
       16. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 15, wherein the blades each additionally comprise two laterally extending and longitudinally spaced grooves on the underside thereof, the grooves of each said blade being respectively adapted to releasably, frictionally receive the apex ridges of the deflector means abutting the underside of said blade, said grooves being adapted for the release of the selected blade for carriage by the detent means. 
     
     
       17. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 16, wherein the first sharpened edge and the second sharpened edge of the selected blade are oriented horizontally and substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the housing when the selected blade is at the operative position, and wherein the handle portion is shaped and dimensioned for ergonomic comfort for substantially horizontal movement of the cutting/scraping tool. 
     
     
       18. A cutting/scraping tool according to claim 16, wherein the first sharpened edge and the second sharpened edge of the selected blade are oriented horizontally and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing when the selected blade is at the operative position, wherein the plane of the selected blade is oriented substantially vertically, and wherein the handle portion is shaped and dimensioned for ergonomic comfort for substantially vertical movement of the cutting/scraping tool.